Transitions can be difficult for anyone, but if you struggle with significant stress that impacts your daily life before, during, and/or after a life change, you may be dealing with adjustment disorder. The good news is that therapy can help manage the impact of adjustment disorders, so you can start feeling more confident as you go through even the most difficult life changes.

1 – What Is Adjustment Disorder?

Adjustment disorders are stress conditions that make navigating life transitions significantly more difficult. The heightened levels of stress and worry during periods of adjustment can negatively impact all aspects of life, including personal connections, professional goals, educational achievement, and familial relationships.

2 – What Are the Common Signs of Adjustment Disorder?

Adjustment disorder can impact all areas of a person’s life from thoughts and feelings to relationships and behaviors, this disorder can significantly affect daily life. Some common symptoms of adjustment disorder include:

Before & During Transition

• Significant worry or dread about the upcoming change
• Mood swings or increased sensitivity
• Stressing over details 
• Difficulty sleeping or oversleeping
• Eating more or less than usual  
• Difficulty focusing on daily tasks

After Transition

• Trouble adjusting to change
• Difficulty accepting change
• Feeling overwhelmed by daily tasks
• Avoiding work, class, or other obligations
• Increased sadness, hopelessness, depression, or listlessness
• Struggling to concentrate or focus on tasks
• Fatigue or exhaustion

3 – What Are the Risk Factors for Developing Adjustment Disorder?

Adjustment disorder can happen to anyone, but there are factors that significantly impact risk for adjustment disorder, including:

• Childhood stress, trauma, and neglect
• Struggling with other mood or behavior disorders
• Dealing with more than one transition at a time
• Difficult life experiences leading to the change
• Managing higher than average levels of stress
• Recovering from trauma
• Being diagnosed with a chronic or life-threatening illness

4 – Does Therapy Help with Adjustment Disorder?

Therapy can be beneficial for anyone navigating a life transition, and this is especially true for those individuals who suffer from adjustment disorders. Therapy to help with adjustment disorder helps individuals:

• Understand why change has such a profound impact on their lives
• Develop better coping mechanisms to manage the impact of change on their lives
• Increase resilience and improve response during future transitions
• Reduce adjustment time after changes

5 – Which Therapist Should I Work With?

At Lansing Counseling, we have a full team of knowledgeable professional therapists who have advanced education and experience that ensure they are able to work alongside their clients to achieve any therapy goal. Many of our therapists have experience working with individuals who are struggling with attachment disorder. If you’re scheduling a session at Lansing Counseling, let us know you’re interested in working with a professional counselor who has experience with providing therapy for clients who are struggling with adjustment disorder.

Bonus – How Do I Get Started with Therapy for Adjustment Disorders?

It’s simple to get started working with the Lansing Counseling team for therapy to help with adjustment disorder. You can take a few moments to complete our online contact request form, call (517) 333-1499, or email [email protected] today.